Next week marks the one-year anniversary of the death of Dennis Johnson. Barely 52 at the time, Johnson, a former NBA All-Star and Finals MVP, was in the middle of his second season as coach of the Toros when he suffered a heart attack and collapsed outside team practice at the Austin Convention Center on February 22.
In honor of their former coach, the Toros are hosting a special pair of back-to-back home games this weekend. The first, Live Music Friday, will feature a tribute performance by local neo-soul artist Tje Austin and a pregame concert by Expression Association, a choir from Texas State University. And for the kids out there, the team will be giving out a set of collectible Toros trading cards to the first 500 attendees under the age of 14. And don’t forget, in the midst of all that hullabaloo, the Toros will also be playing a basketball game, in this case against the Iowa Energy.
Then on Saturday, the festivities continue with Heritage Night, a celebration of African-American culture featuring a half-time ceremony honoring the achievements of three prominent local African-Americans and a performance by the New Generation Steppers (featuring yours truly). In there, as well, a Toros basketball game will take place, this time versus the Central Division-leading Dakota Wizards. It’s the best of the Central vs. the best of the Southwest. It’s like the Ohio and Texas primaries happening on the same day. It’s Hillary vs. Barack.
It’s D-League basketball at its finest.
This article appears in February 22 • 2008.